Elon Musk tore into Peter Navarro on Tuesday, calling him a “moron” after the Trump adviser took aim at Tesla’s manufacturing process. The clash exploded over Trump’s new tariffs and Musk’s leadership of a company caught in the chaos of his trade policies.
Navarro appeared on CNBC, arguing that Musk’s Tesla is not a “car manufacturer” but merely a “car assembler,” claiming it just puts together parts made in other countries. Musk immediately fired back, calling Navarro “truly a moron” and labeling his claims “demonstrably false.”
Musk didn’t stop there, blasting Navarro as “dumber than a sack of bricks” and pointing out that Tesla has “the most American-made cars.” He further added, “Tesla is the most vertically integrated auto manufacturer in America with the highest percentage of US content.”
Navarro’s comments were part of a larger debate over Trump’s 25% auto tariff, which went into effect on April 2 as part of his broader trade war strategy. Trump believes the tariffs will force foreign carmakers to move production to the U.S. and create American jobs. Despite Tesla’s U.S.-focused production in California and Texas, the company faced losses following the announcement, with stock prices dropping 19%.
The war of words between Musk and Navarro also spilled over into the global trade debate. Musk, who is involved with Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has advocated for a zero-tariff situation between the U.S. and Europe, calling for a free trade zone.
However, Navarro, a longtime critic of trade deals, shot down Musk’s proposal, saying Musk “doesn’t understand” the complexities of trade. Navarro also took a shot at Musk’s business, downplaying his role, saying, “He sells cars. That’s what he does.”
Navarro’s criticism of Musk didn’t end there. He said Musk was just “looking out for his own business interests,” especially considering that parts of Tesla’s cars are sourced from countries like Mexico, China, Japan, and Taiwan. Navarro continued, “Elon’s in Texas assembling cars, but we’re more concerned about Detroit building Cadillacs with American engines.”
Watch the clip below:
PETER NAVARRO ON ELON MUSK:
“We all understand in the White House (and the American people understand) that Elon's a car manufacturer. But he's not a car manufacturer — He's a car assembler.
In many cases, if you go to his Texas plant, a good part of the engines that he gets… pic.twitter.com/mkp1wRGcvX
— Ron Pragides (@mrp) April 8, 2025
In a previous exchange, Musk criticized Navarro for his academic background, tweeting, “A PhD in Econ from Harvard is a bad thing, not a good thing. Results in the ego/brains>>1 problem,” referring to Navarro’s defense of Trump’s tariffs.
